The next day, after we've had almost twenty-four hours to regroup, my friends and I decide to take a second look at the note. The authorities let us keep it, dealing they didn't think it was important. We're in Leo's bedroom, with a notebook in her hand. "Smooth and sweet, no place is beat. The picture, the frame, puts the book to shame. What the heck does that mean?" Leo asks.

"Smooth and sweet, no place is beat," Zach repeats. "Well, what's smooth and sweet?"

"Chocolate, ice cream, fro-yo," I say.

"Fro-yo!" Zach says. "Fro-Yo. No place is beat. Boho Fro-Yo. It's the hottest place in town."

"Okay, so at Boho Fro-Yo, the picture, the frame, puts the book to shame," Leo says. "A picture frame."

"At Boho Fro-Yo, a picture frame puts the book to shame," I say. "What book?"

"The contest!" Leo yells.

"What contest?" I ask.

"The contest! Whoever writes the best book blurb review of your parent's book get's a free signed copy."

"The picture. They have a picture of the book!" Zach yells.

"Okay, so?" I ask.

"So? At Boho Fro-Yo, in the picture frame of the book. That's what the note says!" Leo yells.

"So?" I ask again.

"So? They're might be another note!" Zach says.

"Let's go!" Leo yells, running out the door.

"Wait!" I yell. "Wait! What are we doing? This isn't some novel my parents wrote! This is life! I'm an orphan. Until they can get ahold of one of my family members I'm alone in the world. It's a line from a book. A book my parents were writing when my mom decided to stab my dad then slit her throat. Now, are you sure you want to do this?" Zach and Leo take one look at each other until saying the same thing and running out the door.

"Yes."

~~~

Once Leo and Zach successfully dragged me into the car and to Boho Fro-Yo, we went inside. The owner of the store, Ruby Atkins, comes up to me. "Katie, I am so sorry! I don't even know what to say. I, your parents were such good people. I loved every one of their books. I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Ms. Atkins. Um, would you mind if we looked at the contest booth for a second? I think there's something there that was linked to their death," I say trying to hold back tears.

"Yes. Katie, absolutely. I'll get you some yogurt. On the house. Banana cookie dough, correct?"

"Yes, Ms. Atkins, thank you."

"You're welcome, honey." Ms. Atkins goes over to make the treat, and I go over to meet Leo at the contest booth.

"Hey, Zach!" She says pulling off a piece of paper that's slipped behind the picture in the frame. "I found it!" Zach walks over to us holding a cup of fro-yo.

"You found it?" He asks with his mouth full. "We're not crazy?"

"Apparently not," I say. Ms. Atkins walks over and hands me a cup filled with creamy goodness. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, honey."

"Well, read it!" I say when she leaves.

"Okay, Okay! The wind is here, and up it goes. Going, going, gone. Up in a tree, away in the clouds, safe in your hands, holding the handle, the end is near. Huh?"

"I have no clue what that means. At all," I say.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm gonna' go get some fro-yo,"Leo says. "You two go find a table and look it over." I sit down at the table nearest to me. Zach follows.

"So," I say. "What?"

"Um, it has to do with wind. Maybe it's outdoors?"

"And up it goes. Up the wind goes? Or up something goes. But what's the something?" Leo comes over to the table with a cup of fro-yo in her hand.

"What have we got?" She asks.

"It's windy somewhere," I say.

"Cool. Let me look." Zach hands her the note.

"The wind is here, and up it goes. Well, what goes up when there's wind?"

"The wind chill," Zach replies.

"Balloons, kites," I say.

"Okay, so, going, going, gone. It's gone. The balloon slash kite is gone."

"Okay," Zach says. "Up in a tree. Well, hot air balloons are out. Safe in your hands, holding the handle. It's a kite."

"A kite," I repeat. "The wind is here, and the kite goes up. It flies away, it's in a tree, the clouds, your hand, the end is near. The end is near. What does that mean?"

"It sounds like a threat," Leo says.

"No, the end. It's safe in your hands," Zach says. "The end is next to you. It's near."

"No, it's where. The end is near," I say pointing to a poster on the door. "The kite competition at the park. It ends today. The end is near."

"Okay, let's go."